Monday, August 25, 2008

2081 Everyone will finally be equal

Based on the short story Harrison Bergeron by celebrated author Kurt Vonnegut, 2081 depicts a dystopian future in which, thanks to the 212th Amendment to the Constitution and the unceasing vigilance of the United States Handicapper General, everyone is finally equal... The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains. It is a poetic tale of triumph and tragedy about a broken family, a brutal government, and an act of defiance that changes everything.

Featuring an original score performed by the world-renowned Kronos Quartet (Requiem for a Dream) and narration by Academy Award Nominee Patricia Clarkson (Far From Heaven, Goodnight and Good Luck), 2081 stars James Cosmo (Braveheart, Trainspotting, Narnia), Julie Hagerty (Airplane!, What About Bob?) and Armie Hammer (Justice League). This (short) film was made possible by a generous grant from The Moving Picture Institute and its donors.

2 comments:

Look at the comment I found on Labyrinth of the Pyschonauts latest post, by Vinay. It links to the same movie, just the earlier version. I watched it yesterday and it's a great film.

Tagline: Welcome to the future. It's a no-brainer. "All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic short story Harrison Bergeron. The film centers around a young man (Harrison) who is smarter than his peers, and is not affected by the usual "Handicapping" which is used to train all Americans so everyone is of equal intelligence. Directed by Bruce Pittman. Screenplay by Arthur Crimm Original Short-Story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Starring : Sean Astin Christopher Plummer Miranda de Pencier Eugene Levy Howie Mandel Hayden Christensen Sadly, this movie never made it to DVD, so we offer up the best quality version: capped from a 1995 VHS recording made of a Showtime broadcast [which makes this copy a public good]. Good quality with clear audio. You can read the original short story, in it's entirety, here - http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html in about 5 minutes or so ... it's a Really-Short short story. Key words: Elitism, Under Achiever, 2050s, Futuristic, Genius, Retro Future, Television, Satire, Based On Short Story, Equality, Dystopian, Black Comedy, Character Name In Title«